Features Articles

Guy Stanton, director, Nora Flooring Systems UK, highlights some of the useful qualities of rubber floor coverings in the educational environment. The physical environment has a strong influence on learning and with floor coverings forming a major component within the... View Article

Anish Kapoor provides an inspiration for HOK’s new Papworth Hospital, as Steve Menary reports. Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate is a highly polished bean-shaped sculpture at the centre of AT&T Plaza at Millennium Park in Chicago. The sculpture by the Indian-born... View Article

Jess Unwin learns how clever and flexible design is helping to create much-needed modern rented apartments that integrate with existing communities. Canny architectural design should be able to help meet both the UK’s desperate need for more affordable homes and... View Article

The fundamental challenge when dealing with buildings of special architectural or historic interest is to maintain structural and aesthetic integrity, while remaining sympathetic in the product application and still achieving the desired effect. Toby Champion of Newton Waterproofing Systems reports.... View Article

With the BBC due to demolish the corporation’s old Wales’ headquarters in Cardiff there will be few major examples of the architecture of renowned Welsh architect Sir Percy Thomas in the principality’s capital. One of those remnants is the Grade... View Article

With an increased focus on infection control and healthy living environments the Care Sector is faced with a number of opinions and options when it comes to choosing the right floor covering, as Danfloor reports. The use of carpets is... View Article

How interiors can increase the value and desirability of your property. By Sarah Ritchie, creative director of The Gifted Few. There are a number of factors potential house buyers consider when looking around a property. Is it in the right area? Has it got... View Article

With an increasing drive to ensure homes are as efficient as possible – particularly where heating, cooling and ventilation is concerned – it is important to carefully consider the various housebuilding options available to ensure minimal thermal losses. Here, Andrew Carpenter, chief executive of the Structural Timber Association (STA) looks at... View Article

Mike Rawlings from Saint Gobain PAM challenges housebuilders to look beyond alternative rainwater systems and consider specifying a steel system. Steel rainwater systems are quickly becoming a great alternative for all types of dwellings and offer significant benefits for social housing. The material is making... View Article

David Layland, joint managing director of treatment specialist Japanese Knotweed Control (JKC) offers a timely warning to landowners and developers on the perils of ignoring the latest invasive plant legislation. A difficult and expensive burden, invasive, non-native plants have long been the scourge... View Article

Visiting five locations across the UK throughout September: Coventry, Exeter, Farnborough, Edinburgh and Manchester, plus an awards ceremony on 10 September at the Ricoh Arena, Coventry. The last few months since the General Election have been anything but straightforward for the construction industry. With... View Article

Michael Goddard, director of housebuilder Caplin Homes, assesses some of the challenges of the renewable technologies available to housebuilders and explores how a new application could change the future of eco building. Structural building design has improved dramatically in recent years and the... View Article

A striking blend of modern architecture and heritage transport infrastructure makes Altrincham Interchange something of a destination in itself. Ray Philpott reports. Atruly integrated transport interchange where it’s possible to access several different modes of transport with minimal effort is... View Article

Continuing advances in window film technology mean that a range of difficult glazing challenges in the transport sector can be met effectively and cost-efficiently. Micky Calcott, managing director of specialists,The Window Film Company, reveals how. The world of transport utilises... View Article

Designed as a cathedral to food, the new Gloucester services on the southbound M5 are the complete opposite to big-brand motorway fuel stops. Could they revolutionise motorway services’ design? Alison Harmer investigates At a stunning rural location flanking the Cotswolds... View Article

With tight budget restrictions and a multitude of requirements to fulfil, transport sector architects and specifiers are faced with a difficult task when choosing the right street furniture. Nigel Kightley, sales director at CIS Street Furniture, spotlights three products vital... View Article

As passenger numbers grow, specifying the right materials to future-proof stations and airports has never been more important. Andrew Jackson, director at SAS International, looks at how steel solutions meet the required design flexibility and aesthetic demand while providing long-term... View Article

Sally Binns, Marshalls’ rail expert, takes us on a journey to find out how good design and carefully selected materials can enhance the passenger experience from the station interface to the platform. Around 6.5 million passengers travel on Britain’s rail... View Article

Oak remains perhaps the most iconic of British hardwoods, but how does English oak fare against imported oak, and do designers and specifiers fully understand and appreciate the available choices and advantages of English oak over imported timber? Tom Barnes... View Article